Gymnastics safety and training apparatus for high bar and other apparatus

ABSTRACT

A method for preventing a gymnast from striking a portion of gymnastics equipment while performing a routine or practicing. The method including: attaching a member to one of a gymnast, either directly or through intervening members or to the portion of the gymnastics equipment; and the member preventing the gymnast from directly striking the portion of the gymnastics equipment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/671,686, filed Apr. 16, 2005, the entire contents of which isincorporated herein by its reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to safety and training aids forgymnasts and, more particularly, to gymnastics safety and training aiddevices for the high bar and other apparatus.

2. Prior Art

Serious injury has often occurred as a result of young gymnasts loosingtheir grip while training on the high bar apparatus and falling. Similarinjuries occur as a result of a gymnast loosing his or her grip on thehigh bar, parallel bars or the loop and falling. A need therefore existsin the art of gymnastics for preventing a gymnast from falling on theground after loosing his or her grip on gymnastic equipment, such as thehigh bar, the loop or the parallel bars. Additionally, a need exists inthe art of gymnastics for preventing a gymnast from striking gymnasticequipment, such as a high bar or parallel bar during a gymnastic routineor practice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, a mechanism is provided for preventing a gymnast fromstriking a portion of gymnastics equipment while performing a routine orpracticing. The mechanism comprising: a member for interfering with theportion of gymnastics equipment either directly or through interveningmembers such that the interference causes the gymnast to not strike theportion of gymnastics equipment; and means for attaching the member tothe gymnast.

The means for attaching the member to the gymnast can comprise: a framesecured to the torso of the gymnast; a first link rotatably connected tothe frame; and a second link rotatably connected to the first link, themember being attached to the second link. The second link can furtherhave means for rotatably connecting the means for attaching to theportion of gymnastics equipment. The member can be a stop positioned onthe second link which contacts the portion of gymnastics equipment uponrotation of the first and second links into a predetermined positionsuch that the stop strikes the portion of the gymnastics equipmentbefore the gymnast can. A position of the stop can be adjustable toaccount for a relative size of the gymnast. The means for attaching cancomprise a pair of the first and second links, each of the individualfirst and second links being disposed symmetrically about the gymnast.

The means for attaching the member to the gymnast can comprise: a firstframe secured to the torso of the gymnast; and a second frame attachedto the first frame, the second frame being shaped such that it contactsthe portion of gymnastics equipment before the gymnast can. The secondframe can have a C shape.

The means for attaching the member to the gymnast can comprise: a firstframe secured to the torso of the gymnast; one or more engagementportions attached to the gymnastics equipment; and a beam member securedto the first frame for engaging the engagement means prior to thegymnast striking the portion of the gymnastics equipment. The one ormore engagement portions can be first and second semi-circular membershaving a predetermined spacing on the gymnastics equipment; and the beammember has a length less than the predetermined spacing.

The mechanism can further comprise at least one harness for securingaround at least a portion of a torso of the gymnast and one or morestraps fixed at one end to the harness and rotatably engaged with theportion of the gymnastics equipment at another end. The means forattaching the member to the gymnast can be the harness.

Also provided is an apparatus for preventing a gymnast from beinginjured due to the gymnast striking a portion of gymnastics equipmentwhile performing a routine or practicing, the apparatus comprising acushion having a predetermined cross-section shape, the cushion beingattached to the portion of gymnastics equipment such that the gymnastwill strike the cushion instead of the portion of the gymnasticsequipment.

Still further provided is a method for preventing a gymnast fromstriking a portion of gymnastics equipment while performing a routine orpracticing. The method comprising: attaching a member to one of agymnast, either directly or through intervening members or to theportion of the gymnastics equipment; and the member preventing thegymnast from directly striking the portion of the gymnastics equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the apparatus ofthe present invention will become better understood with regard to thefollowing description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a first embodiment of agymnastics safety device harness.

FIG. 2 illustrates the gymnastics safety device harness of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of a gymnastics safety deviceharness.

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of a gymnastics safety deviceharness.

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative means for connecting the gymnasticssafety device harness to the gymnastics equipment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a conventional high bar having a PVC sleeve disposedover the high bar.

FIGS. 7-9 illustrate an embodiment of a bar sleeve for use with the highbar.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate two embodiments of clamps for use with thebar sleeve of FIGS. 7-9.

FIG. 12 a illustrates an isometric view of an embodiment of a barsleeve.

FIG. 12 b illustrates the bar sleeve of FIG. 12 a in an openedconfiguration.

FIG. 13 illustrates a sectional view and exploded view of an embodimentof a bar sleeve.

FIG. 14 illustrates a schematic of two bar sleeves mounted over a highbar and being held by a gymnast.

FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate a schematic view of the gymnastics safetydevice harness of FIG. 1 in combination with the bar sleeve of FIG. 6.

FIG. 17 illustrates a schematic view of the gymnastics safety deviceharness of FIG. 3 in combination with the bar sleeve of FIG. 6.

FIG. 18 illustrates a schematic view of the gymnastics safety deviceharness of FIG. 4 in combination with the bar sleeve of FIG. 6.

FIG. 19 illustrates an embodiment of a bar sleeve for attachment of aharness strap.

FIG. 20 illustrates another embodiment of a bar sleeve for attachment ofa harness strap.

FIG. 21 illustrates a wrist strap of the prior art for use to secure thewrist of a gymnast to a bar.

FIG. 22 illustrates the wrist strap of FIG. 21 attached to a bar.

FIGS. 23 and 24 illustrate an embodiment of a wrist strap.

FIG. 25 illustrates another embodiment of a wrist strap.

FIG. 26 illustrates a schematic of a gymnast above the high bar wherethe gymnast is vulnerable to injury due to striking the bar.

FIG. 27 illustrates a schematic of a gymnast parallel to the high barwhere the gymnast is vulnerable to injury due to striking the bar.

FIG. 28 illustrates an embodiment of a mechanism for preventing agymnast from striking a bar.

FIG. 29 illustrates another embodiment of a mechanism for preventing agymnast from striking a bar.

FIGS. 30-32 illustrate another embodiment of a mechanism for preventinga gymnast from striking a bar.

FIGS. 33 and 34 illustrate another embodiment of a mechanism forpreventing a gymnast from striking a bar.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Although the present invention is applicable to numerous types ofgymnastic equipment, it is particularly useful in the environment of thehigh bar, the loop and the parallel bars. Therefore, without limitingthe applicability of the present invention to the high bar, the loop andthe parallel bars, it will be described in such environment. The fallprotection methods and apparatus and its various embodiments aredescribed first for the use on a high bar. Their use in gymnasticparallel bars and loops is similar and is then briefly described.

The methods and apparatus disclosed herein for protecting a fallinggymnast use a means of loosely “attaching” the gymnast to the bar suchthat in the case that the gymnast grip on the bar is lost, the gymnastis safely suspended via the attachment means to the bar, therebypreventing the gymnast from falling to the ground below.

The attachment means can provide suspension by at least at two points,and can be symmetric and on either side of the gymnast, so thatfollowing loss of the grip; the gymnast is minimally turned and twistedaround. The falling gymnast can end up held to the bar with his or herhead up. In addition, the device can have a certain amount of elasticityin the direction of the fall to minimize a sudden stopping of thegymnast following a fall. The entire device can be lightweight andminimally interfere with the gymnast routines and exercise. To make thesafety device acceptable by both parents and trainers, the device can beuser friendly, e.g., be easy to put on with simple and minimaladjustments; be comfortable to wear; be easy to attach to the bar; notrequire a permanent component on the bar since most high bars are alsoused by more advanced gymnasts and without the same safety devices; andbe easily attached and detached to the bar by the trainer for easymounting and dismounting of the gymnast without requiring additionalpersonnel.

A basic operation of an embodiment of a safety device and/or trainingaid (collectively referred to hereinafter as safety devices orapparatus) is as follows. In the event that the gymnast losses his/hergrip on the bar and begins to uncontrollably leave the bar, securingstraps, which are connected at one end to the high bar via certain barattachments and at the other end to the gymnast via a certain harness,would suspend the gymnast to the high bar and prevent the gymnast fromfalling to the floor. The gymnast will then remain suspended via theharness until he/she is safely dismounted with the assistance of anattendee.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic of a first embodiment of a gymnasticssafety harness of the type that is worn around the gymnast's chest, suchthat in the case of a fall, the weight of the gymnast 101 is supportedby the harness below the shoulder region, with a relatively uniformpressure distribution over support area. As shown in FIG. 2, thegymnastics safety device comprises a safety harness 100. The safetyharness 100 consists of the following main components. A chest harness103 which is worn around the chest, just below the shoulder. The harness103 is preferably made out of a strong and relatively non-extensiblefabric, such as a nylon based fabric, with the surfaces that are incontact with the body, particularly under the shoulder area, padded(padding not shown in FIG. 2) for comfort. The back of the harness 103can be equipped with the means to adjust it so that it is firmlypositioned around the chest area. The preferred method of making theharness 103 adjustable to various chest sizes is by constructing theback portion with one or more pairs of relatively non-extensible straps108 (such as nylon based strap material commonly used in harnesses),which are connected by adjustable buckles 109. Such straps and bucklesare well known in the art.

Two shoulder strap loops 104 are fixed (e.g., such as being sewn) to theharness 103, and go around the gymnast's shoulders (see FIG. 1). Theharness 100 further has a high bar attachment means 106 comprising twopairs of straps 111 and 112. The lower strap 111 is attached to thestrap loop 104, via a permanently sewn loop 116. Alternatively, the loop116 may also be made using a buckle 113. The lower strap 111 can bedirectly attached to the top of the loop 104.

The upper straps 112, form loops 105 around the bar 102, and is securedpreferably by a quick release safety hook 114. One part of the safetyhook 114 is preferably attached permanently to the end of the strap 112and the other part of the safety hook is permanently attached to thesame side of the strap 112, certain distance below to allow free passageof the bar 102 through the resulting loop. Alternatively, the straps 112may be attached securely to karabiners 136 (see FIG. 5), which can thenbe quickly and safely attached to the bar or rings.

Each pair of straps 111 and 112 is attached together by an adjustablebuckle 115. The purpose for the adjustable buckle 115 is to allow thetotal length of the two straps to be adjustable to match the gymnast'sarm length. In general, this length is adjusted such that in case ofgrip loss in the position shown in FIG. 1, the gymnast would drop assmall a distance down as possible, i.e., enough slack is to be providedso that the device would not interfere with the movements of the gymnastduring his/her exercise.

The straps 111 and 112 can be made out of the same material as wasdescribed for the loop 104. A relatively small portion of the strap 111or/and strap 112 can be made with a relatively small longitudinalflexible material (not shown) (e.g., formed with elastic threads in thevertical direction) so that in case of a fall, the gymnast is subjectedto a minimal jerk as the harness suddenly interrupts the fall.

A pair of straps 107, which can be fixed (e.g., sewn) to the strap 112are used to hold the suspending straps 111 and 112 close to the wristand away from the gymnast head. The straps 107 are preferably initiallyopen and can be closed using Velcro segments. The user may useadditional holding straps 107 along the length of the arm.

FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the gymnastics safety devicecomprising a lower abdominal harness 130, which goes over the waist ofthe gymnast with a groin segment 131 which passes between the legs andgets attached to the back portion of the harness 130, by a buckle, hookand loop materials (e.g., Velcro®) or the like. To better distribute theweight of the athlete over the buttock area, supporting surfaces (notshown) may also be provided on both sides of the segment 131. Theharness 130 can be adjustable similar to the chest harness 103 in itsback segment. In this embodiment, the harness can also be held aroundthe chest area by an adjustable strap 132, which is fixed to thesuspending straps 133 and 134. The straps 133 and 134 are preferablyconstructed in a manner similar to the suspenders of the previousembodiment to be adjustable and attachable to the bar with quick releasesafety hooks 114. To increase stability during a fall, the suspenders133 and 134 may be constructed with a front and back straps, in whichcase only one adjustment means, preferably positioned on the backportion of each strap, will be required for each one of the straps.

In another embodiment, a combination of the aforementioned twoembodiments is used as shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment, the chestportion is essentially the same as the harness 100 shown in FIG. 2. Theportion 130 and 131, as shown in FIG. 3, is also essentially the same.Straps 134 (preferably two front and two back straps) are used toconnect the chest 103 and the waste 130 portions together. The lengthsof the straps 134 are preferably adjustable using an adjusting buckle orother adjustment means, such as hook and loop materials.

The aforementioned harness embodiments may be adjustable to the chest,buttock and arm lengths. They may also be desired to be produced inseveral sizes in order to cover all gymnast sizes and genders and tolimit the aforementioned ranges of adjustments.

A number of different type of straps could be used to secure the harnessto the bar. The straps may be made of a rope, a woven strap, cloth,chains or the like. The securing straps may also be attached to thefront of the harness as shown in FIG. 3, or they may be attached to theback or to the sides of the harness, or to two or all the three sides.Furthermore, the straps do not have to consist of pairs. Rather, anynumber of straps may be used. However, preferably, at least two strapsare used so that they could also be secured to the wrist for addedstability once the grip is lost, and to prevent the straps from gettingentangled with the arms and hand during exercise. The securing strapsare secured to the harness on the one end and to the bar on the otherend.

The disclosed gymnastics safety device harnesses may also be used on therings during the exercise. In early stages of training or during certainexercises, the disclosed gymnastics safety device harnesses may also beused on the parallel bars.

In the disclosed gymnastics safety device harnesses, the straps 106 arenot used to carry a portion of the gymnast weight. However, the strapsare snug enough to prevent a considerable drop when the gymnast looseshis/her grip on the bar. In certain periods of training, however, it maybe desired to have the straps to carry part of the gymnast weight. Insuch situations, the straps can be tightened to the required level toachieve the desired weight distribution. Although the harnesses aredisclosed as having straps for securing the same around the body, theharness can also have a jacket or vest configuration (similar to a lifevest but with lighter materials) with two or more buckles (also similarto life vests) to secure the harness to the torso.

To reduce the amount of friction between bars or loops and the hand,gymnasts routinely wear grippers that cover the surface of the palm andunder the fingers (except the thumb) with leather or other similarmaterials. The contacting surface of the leather is usually made to besoft and highly porous and during practice is covered with chalk powderto reduce friction. The grippers also eliminate direct contact betweenthe skin and the bar surface, thereby reducing the chances of skinerosion and injury.

During practicing various routines and related exercises, particularlyfor beginner gymnasts and for learning and practicing certain advancedroutines, it is highly desirable to minimize friction between the handand the bar and keep it minimal without relying on the gymnast forproper gripping posture and force and the quality of the gripper wornand the proper use of the chalk powder. In addition, it is desired toeliminate the chances of hand surface injury. It is also desired toeliminate the chances of one hand providing more frictional resistanceto rotation about the bar than the other. For all the above reasons,trainers routinely cover a large central portion of the bar 102 with aplastic (usually PVC) tube (sleeve) 140, as shown in FIG. 6, and thegymnast 101 would then hold onto the outer surface of the tube ratherthan the bar directly, and performs his/her exercise and routinepractice.

The tubular sleeves 140, however, are difficult to use since to insertone over the bar, the bar has to be taken off the posts. This process isvery time consuming and consumes a considerable amount of training time.The problem becomes more serious when a gymnast has to train severalportions of the exercise with the sleeve. In this case, after completingone portion, the gymnast has to wait several minutes before being ableto complete the next portion. A similar problem arises when one gymnastneeds the sleeve and the next one does not. For these reasons, the useof such sleeves are limited and the trainers refrain from making anextensible use of this very beneficial tool in order to avoid long waitsduring their insertion and removal.

Thus, bar sleeves are provided which remain securely on the bar. The barsleeves can be cylindrical in shape with relatively thin walls,providing a slight clearance with the bar to allow them to rotate freelywith minimal friction about the bar. The bar sleeves are strong enoughso that as they are squeezed by the gymnast hand, the wall does notcollapse and cause the sleeve to grab onto the bar surface.

FIGS. 7-9 illustrate an embodiment of the bar sleeves where a sleevetube is made out of two or more longitudinal curved strips, each forminga circular arc, and together forming a cylinder with an essentiallycircular cross section. The number of such circular sections can be two,with each covering nearly half the circular perimeter of the sleevetube. FIG. 7 shows the tubular sleeve 140, consisting of the two halves141 and 142. The resulting tubular sleeve 140 is desired to fit over thebar 102, with a slight clearance between the sleeve 140 and the bar 102to allow free rotation of the sleeve relative to the bar with minimalfrictional resistance. A cross-section of the sleeve 140 and the bar isshown in FIG. 8. In an embodiment, the contacting surfaces 143 and 144of the halves are not flat, but made out of mating surfaces, e.g.,mating circular arc shaped surfaces as shown in FIG. 9. The purpose forproviding such mating surfaces is to ensure that the two halves do notslip during use, thereby allowing the inner surfaces of the sleeve 140to grab onto the bar 102.

To ensure that the bar attachments rotate smoothly around the bar,either the sleeve is made out of low friction materials such as Teflon®,or part or the entire inner surfaces of the sleeves are covered by arelatively thin low friction lining material such as Teflon® or hardplastics.

The strips 141 and 142 of the sleeve 140 are held together once thesleeve has been assembled on the bar 102, FIG. 7. This may be done in anumber of ways, including the following:

1. Utilizing clamps to hold the circular arc segments pressed together.Many such (tube, pipe, etc.) type of clamps are well known in the art.The clamps can be quickly positioned and taken off the sleeve withoutany tools. In general, two clamps at both ends of the sleeve anddepending on the length of the sleeve, one or possibly more clamps inbetween where they do not interfere with the user are suggested to beused. The clamp 145, front view of which is shown in the cross-sectionview of FIG. 10, is an example of an acceptable clamp. The clamp ring145 acts as a preloaded spring once positioned over the sleeve 140 toprovide an adequate clamping force. The clamp 145 is made as a circularloop from a strip (or wire) material with enough elasticity to act as astrong spring. The strip wounds around the sleeve and their overlappingends 147 are bent outwards. By applying forces 146 to the ends 147 inthe direction of the arrows, the preloading force is countered and theclamp can be removed (or similarly positioned at the desired locationalong the length of the sleeve).

2. A short tube 148 (e.g., around 1 inch long) made out of a relativelyrigid material, such as plastic, FIG. 11, with an inner diameterslightly larger than the outer diameter of the sleeve with an internallining 147 of an elastomeric material is slid over the sleeve to hold itfirmly together. In FIG. 11, the front view of the clamp 148 is showntogether with a cross-sectional view of the bar 102 and the sleeve 140.The inner diameter of the elastomeric lining is slightly smaller thanthe outer diameter of the sleeve in order to provide a preloading forceto hold the sleeve components together. The inner surface of the liningis preferably made with a profile with small gaps 149 to allow for easyinsertion and removal of the clamp.

3. A harness strap that is wrapped tightly around the sleeve and is heldin place by a Velcro® segment. One end of the strap can be permanentlyfixed to one of the sleeve segments.

4. Any adjustable hose, pipe, splicing and the like clamp, preferablywith a relatively long tightening bolt or nut handle or toggle type oflever. The clamps are preferably plastic and coated with a soft foammaterial such as Neoprene, leaving no sharp edges.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the sleeve 150 is madeout of two hinged segments 151 and 152 as shown in FIGS. 12 a and 12 b.The halves 151 and 152 are connected with at least one hinge 153 and arelocked together with a built in locking mechanisms such as the male andfemale locking portions 154 and 155. Depending on the locking mechanism,shoulders 156 may be needed to accommodate the locking mechanisms. Thehinges 153 may be rotary, may be living joints as shown in theembodiment of FIG. 13 described below. During assembly over the bar, thetwo halves 151 and 152 are opened, placed around the bar, and are closedand locked in place. The gymnast would perform his or her training orroutine by holding the bar sleeves instead of the bar and the barsleeves would rotate relative to the bar. The two halves 151 and 152 areremoved by unlocking and opening up the two halves.

An alternative method of locking the two halves 151 and 152 together asthe sleeve is assembled around the bar is by locking latches, which arewell known in the art, and that are molded or adhered onto and/or latermachined into the sleeve halves at one or more positions along thelength of the sleeve.

In another embodiment of a bar sleeve 160, a cross-section of which isshown in FIG. 13, the sleeve is made out of two halves 161 and 162. Thetwo halves 161 and 162 are connected to each other by an elastomericstrip 163, which makes the cross-section of the sleeve to becomesubstantially circular. The strip 163 is either molded over the sleevehalves or is attached to the sleeve halves by adhesives. The sleeve half161 is provided with surface features 164 and 165 along its edgesurfaces that mate with features 166 and 167 on the other sleeve half162 when assembled. The mating surfaces 164-166 are shown in FIG. 13 tobe circular, however, any other surface geometry that provides forminimal slippage between the two halves 161 and 162 is acceptable. InFIG. 13, the sleeve halves 161 and 162, and the strip 163 are also drawnas an exploded view with the solid arrows 168 showing the direction inwhich they are brought together for assembly into the sleeve 160.

To position the sleeve 160 over the bar, the user opens the two halvesas shown in FIG. 13 c, place it over the bar and close the sleeve overthe bar. The strip 163 is preferable molded or adhered to the haves 161and 162 when assembled. Thereby in their normal position, the halves 161and 162 are biased by the elastomeric strip 163 to be closed shut. Withthis bias, the sleeve 160 is automatically closed once positioned aroundthe bar 102. With this embodiment, a holding clamp may not be necessaryduring certain routines.

Once sleeve 160 if positioned around the bar, the sleeve may be lockedin its position by any one of the aforementioned clamping devices.

The above bar sleeves may be covered by a thin layer of relatively softmaterial such as leather or similar synthetic materials to provide for abetter grip.

In FIGS. 1-4 and 6, the sleeve is shown to be long and span enoughlength of the bar so that the gymnast could hold it with both of his/herhands. The sleeves may, however, be short and long enough for only onehand. FIG. 14 shows a schematic of such shorter sleeves 170 as mountedover a high bar 102 and being held by a gymnast 101. One advantage ofshort sleeves is the reduction in the contact area between the bar andthe inner surface of the bar and the possibility to generate relativelylarge friction forces and wear of the inner surfaces due to the bendingof the bar during exercise.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-6, the safety harness suspensionstrap or hook is positioned directly over the bar. Alternatively, asshown in FIGS. 15-18, the safety harness suspension strap or hook may bepositioned over any of the long or short bar sleeves discussed above.

In another embodiment, the safety harness suspension strap or hook isfirst securely attached to the bar sleeve(s), and the sleeves are thenpositioned over the bar. This embodiment can be used with theaforementioned short bar sleeves as shown in FIG. 15. This wouldminimize the time that the trainer has to take to mount the sleeves andthen attach the safety harness suspension straps or hooks to the sleeveor directly to the bar.

A number of different type of straps and hooks could be used to securethe harness to the bar sleeve. In one embodiment, the straps 175 aresecured directly to the sleeve 172 using eyes or slots 173 in thesleeve, as shown in FIG. 19. Although FIG. 19 shows the strap 175 beinglooped over itself to lock the same in place and to lock the strap at acertain length, a buckle may be provided to lock the strap at a certainlength. The straps 175 may also be permanently attached to the sleeves172.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 20, strap 181 can be provided with anattached Karabiner 182, which in turn hooks to an extension 183 on thebody of the sleeve 184 through a provided hole 185.

Currently, as shown in FIG. 21, wrist straps used by gymnastics areformed by twisting straps 190 into a FIG. 8. One end of a strap of anappropriate length is twisted and then overlapping a short length andsewing it to it other end. The required length is dependent on the sizeof the hand that is intended to use the twisted strap. The user wouldplace the mid-portion of the FIG. 8 shaped twisted strap 190 over thebar 102, bend them over to line up the two end loops, pass his/her handthrough the front loop 193 in the direction of arrow 191 and thenthrough the loop 194 in the direction of arrow 192 as shown in FIG. 22,and then grabs the bar. The twisted strap is made to be short enough forthe hand to barely pass through, thereby for the two end loops to bepositioned over the wrist, allowing minimal play within the loops. As aresult, if the gymnast lets the bar go while mounted on the bar, thewrists will get caught in the two loops, preventing the gymnast fromfalling to the ground and suspended by the wrists to the bar.

The FIG. 8 shaped straps 190 shown in FIGS. 21-22 work well inpreventing a gymnast from falling if he/she loses grip on the bar.However, there is still a risk that the hand goes through theaforementioned loops and let the gymnast fall. Even if one of the handsgoes through the loop, the gymnast will be in a very awkward positionand may injure his/her wrist. Injury to the wrist may occur even ifneither one of the hand straps have come loose since to prevent the handto go through the loops following loss of bar grip, the loops have to befairly tightly held against the wrists. Then following the loss of bargripping, the strap applies a very large deforming force on the wrist,thereby causing extreme discomfort and potentially injury to the wrist.For these reasons, such straps are not recommended for use on youngergymnasts and the older and fit gymnasts do not like to use them andregularly complain of wrist pain after their use.

There is, therefore a need for a more ergonomic device that would servethe same purpose without providing a possibility for fall and generatingwrist pain and potential for wrist injury. Such an ergonomic devicewould also be a very useful training tool, since the trainers can allowthe gymnast to practice routines more times without becoming concernedthat gymnast fatigue would increase the possibility of a fall.

FIGS. 23 and 24 illustrate an embodiment of a wrist strap 200 having apadded strong wrist band 201 that is long enough to cover at leastseveral inches of the arm and flare to cover 1-2 inches of the wrist.The band can be a flat piece that wraps around the wrist and is firmlyattached to the wrist area and locked in place, e.g., by a strap, hookand loop fasteners or a buckle. Alternatively, the band can becylindrical and snugly fit over the wrist. Straps 202 similar to thosedescribed for the previous embodiments are then provided on one (such asthe outer side) or both sides of the hand. These straps 202 loop aroundthe bar 102 by a quick release mechanism similar to the aforementionedembodiments, such as a buckle or hook and loop fasteners (not shown). Ifthe gymnast looses his/her grip, he/she would then be suspended by theabove straps, with the load of suspension being fairly uniformlydistributed over the wrist area, thereby minimizing the possibility ofstraining the wrist.

The straps 202 of the ergonomic wrist straps 200 can be provided withvery slight slack so that if the gymnast loses his/her grip, the gymnasthand is still close enough to the bar 102 to catch it again withouthaving to be lifted to reach the bar.

The straps 202 may also be used with the loops and for certain routinesand exercises with parallel bars, particularly for beginner gymnasts.

In certain exercises, the gymnast wants to let one hand go and rotate ahalf turn and grab the bar again, thereby changing the direction thathe/she faces. For such moves, the gymnast need wear only one ergonomicwrist strap on the hand about which the body is to be rotated during theroutine. In addition only one of the straps 202 can be used to attachthe ergonomic wrist strap 200 to the bar 102. To prevent twisting of thetwo sides of the strap 202 about each other during this maneuver,thereby further tightening the strap onto the bar, the method ofattachment of the strap 202 to the wrist band 201 can be slightlymodified to allow free rotation of the straps loop 202 about the wristband 201. In one such modification shown in FIG. 25, the strap 202 (onlyone such strap is shown in FIG. 25), and the quick release element(buckle) 203 are looped. The end of the loop is then attached to thewrist band 201 by a strong but small diameter string or rope element204. The element 204 may also be made out of the strap 202 material,which is rolled into a small diameter section to reduce its torsionalresistance. The reason for using such elements 204 is to ensure that theaforementioned rotation of the gymnast minimally twist the strap 202loop, thereby causing it to catch onto the bar 102 and prevent thegymnast hand from freely rotating over the bar.

The above disclosed ergonomic wrist strap and the FIG. 8 shaped straps190 shown in FIGS. 21-22, may be used with any one of the bar sleevesdisclosed above.

The gymnastics safety harness disclosed in the first part of thisdisclosure is highly effective in preventing the gymnast from beingseparated from the bar (or loop) and fall onto the ground below.However, if the gymnast looses his/her grip and fall while he/she hasalready rotated up and his or her head is above the bar, then during thefall the gymnast's head, face or upper body may strike the bar and causeinjury.

This type of accident is not as serious as a direct fall to the ground,but can still cause serious injury. Such accidents occur mostly amongthe beginner gymnasts. This type of accident is particularly hard toprevent with current common practice in which the trainer is the onlymeans of safety against a fall. During such falls, even if the traineris alert and close to the gymnast and capable of catching the gymnast ifhe/she were falling to the ground, the trainer cannot also be in aposition to prevent the gymnast from hitting the bar with their head orupper body in the aforementioned manner.

In one embodiment, a head protection helmet, preferably a lightweightand small helmet, is worn to protect the head itself during the ensuingimpact with the bar. Such head protection gear, however, is cumbersome,interferes with the exercise by varying the inertia of the body unlessthey are very lightweight and small, they do not provide protectionagainst impact on the face or upper body, and more importantly, they donot protect against the more serious neck injury. Protective devicesthat could be worn on the face, neck and the upper body do exist (suchas protective gear worn by football players), but are too cumbersome andgenerally interfere with gymnastics routines and therefore impracticalfor a gymnast to wear.

A need, therefore, exists for a device to protect the gymnast from theaforementioned falls onto the bar that could cause head, neck and upperbody injury. In this disclosure, a method and a number of devices arepresented that provide for such protection. As indicated above, beginnergymnasts are the most vulnerable to such falls and the disclosedembodiments are intended mostly for their use and for use for higherskilled gymnasts who are practicing certain routines, particularlybefore having mastered them.

The disclosed devices are intended for use together with theaforementioned safety harnesses, since a falling gymnast that couldstrike the bar would most probably consequently fall to the ground andshould therefore be protected from such falls as well.

Referring now to FIG. 26, consider a gymnast 210 who is positionedvertically in the position 211 and holding the bar 102 as shownschematically in FIG. 26. In FIG. 26, the gymnast is also shown in theforward position 212 and the backward position 213. FIG. 26 and othersimilar Figures which show a ground 215, the ground is shown closer tothe bar than in actuality. Those skilled in the art will realize thatthe ground is at least as far from the bar, as generally further, as thelength of the gymnast with outstretched arms. If the gymnast 211 ispositioned vertically within the range of positions 212 and 213, his orher head is not going to clear the bar and would therefore strike thebar, and eventually fall to the ground 215. In FIG. 26, the verticallines 214 indicate the width of the bar and therefore the limits withinwhich the head would strike the bar.

The above range of positions, however, holds only if the gymnast arm isfully extended and in line with the body until moments before the fall.Such an assumption is obviously rarely true and the gymnast may be inany possible position just before loosing grip of the bar and in factmay have lost the grip only partially or not at all but allow, e.g., theelbow to bend and the shoulder rotate and come into contact or impactthe bar while still holding on to the bar. One such fall is illustratedin the schematics of FIG. 27. In FIG. 27, the gymnast 210 is shown inthe position 216 at certain point during the exercise, i.e., horizontalwith the face area above the bar 102. If the gymnast is not rotatingfast enough to continue his/her movement and passes this position(upward or downward), and if he/she should lose his/her grip on the barand or if he/she could no longer support his/her weight on the bar, thenthe arms would collapse or the grip on the bar could be lost and thegymnast could fall face down on the bar (position 217).

It is appreciated that infinite such situations that could result in thebar impacting the head, the face, the neck, and the upper body mayarise. The method disclosed below is intended to provide the basis forthe development of safety devices that would prevent the aforementionedinjury causing impacts from occurring.

The disclosed method is based on providing mechanisms that prevent thegymnast head (to, face and back), neck, and the upper body fromapproaching the bar too closely to cause an impact during any of theaforementioned falls, i.e., falls from any position of the gymnast abovethe bar. The disclosed method accomplishes this task by constraining themotion of the gymnast (preferably from below the shoulder area to thetop of the head) to a space that does not include the bar and a shortdistance from it (to provide a margin of safety). Such motionconstraining mechanisms allow the gymnast to perform most exercises,particularly the exercises that beginner gymnasts usually perform (theterm mechanism is used very broadly and is not intended to include onlyessentially link type of mechanisms). Such basic motion constrainingmechanisms include the following:

1. The mechanism is attached to the gymnast (preferably shoulder area orbelow) on one side of the bar on the other side. The mechanism allowsthe distance between the gymnast and the bar points of connections tovary freely but limits it such that the head could not come too close tothe bar. An example of such mechanisms is shown in the schematics ofFIG. 28.

2. The mechanism is only attached to the gymnast (preferably shoulderarea or below). The mechanism then provides surfaces that come intocontact with the bars first and thereby prevent the vulnerable areas ofthe gymnast, i.e., mainly the entire head, neck and shoulder area, tocome in contact with the bar. The forces of impact are preferablytransmitted through the mechanism to the shoulder area. The mechanism isconstructed with certain amount of structural flexibility and padding sothat the peak impact force is significantly reduced. An example of suchmechanisms is shown in the schematics of FIG. 29.

3. The mechanism consists of at least two separate parts, at least oneof which is attached to the gymnast (preferably shoulder area or below),and at least one part to the bar. During the exercise, if the head andneck and shoulder area gets close to the bar, then surfaces from themechanism part attached to the bar comes into contact with surfaces onthe mechanism part attached to the gymnast, thereby preventing thegymnast head and neck and shoulder area to strike the bar. The forces ofimpact are preferably transmitted through the mechanism to the shoulderarea. The mechanism is constructed with certain amount of structuralflexibility and padding so that the peak impact force is significantlyreduced. An example of such mechanisms is shown in the schematics ofFIGS. 30-32.

4. The mechanism is fixed to the bar alone and is provided with enoughpadding so that in the case of a fall onto the bar, the force of impactbetween the bar and the gymnast is significantly reduced. Thisembodiment provides a very simple solution. The device is effective formost falls except those that could impart a dangerous level of strain onthe neck, e.g., direct and vertical fall with the head onto the bar, orhitting the face or back of the head to the bar, or hitting the bar withthe chin while the gymnast slides down the bar after falling over it atthe chest level. It should, however, be noted that all the possiblemodes of gymnast falls onto the bar are from a relatively short verticaldistance, with the maximum distance being the length of the arm.Therefore the present embodiment is generally effective in preventingserious injuries to the gymnast in most of the fall, except for theaforementioned few cases. An example of such mechanisms is shown in theschematics of FIG. 33.

Referring now in detail to FIG. 28, an embodiment of the motionconstraining mechanism (number 1 above) to provide head, face, neck andshoulder impact protection is shown. The motion constraining mechanismconsists of a relatively stiff frame 220, which is fixed to the gymnast210 by chest and shoulder harness 226 and a lower harness 228. Theharnesses 226 and 228 can be straps with fasteners such as buckles orhook and loop fasteners that provide for a size adjustment. At least onerelatively rigid link or frame 221 is attached to the frame 220 by atleast one rotary joint 222. A second relatively rigid link or frame 223is attached to the link or frame 221 by at least one rotary joint 224 onone end, and is attached to the bar 102 by at least one sleeve 225,which is free to rotate about the bar 102 by the provided smallclearance. The links or frames 221 and 223 are long enough to allow thegymnast to fully extend his/her arms as shown in FIG. 28. However, atleast one stop 227 is provided so that as the gymnast head gets tooclose to the bar, it would stop the aforementioned two links or framesto get any closer, thereby preventing the gymnast head from striking thebar. If the gymnast loses his/her grip of the bar while positionedsomewhere above the bar, the motion constraining mechanism of FIG. 28would limit how close the head, face, neck and shoulders could come tothe bar. Following such a fall, the gymnast body would rotate towardsthe ground about the sleeve 225 and a safe distance from the bar sincethe center of mass of the gymnast is away from the sleeve and the bar.The previously described safety harness would then prevent the gymnastfrom falling to the ground. In an embodiment, the frame 220 is attachedto the chest harness 103 and waste harness 130 of the gymnastics safetyharness shown in FIG. 4.

The shoulder harness is made with shoulder straps that are securely heldagainst the gymnast so that the force transmitted by the motionconstraining mechanism during a fall is transmitted to the shoulderarea.

It is appreciated by those skilled in the art that the aforementionedmotion constraining mechanism does not have to be constructed withlinkage type of mechanisms with rotary joints. For example, themechanism can be constructed with living joints to reduce the weight andcost. Alternatively, the mechanism could be constructed with segmentedbeams that are connected with living (bending) joints with the width ofthe beams limiting the total flexing of the beam.

In the aforementioned motion constraining mechanisms, the position ofthe stop 227 or one or both link lengths can be adjustable to allow itto be used by gymnasts of a range of sizes.

In FIG. 28, the side view of the mechanism is shown. The motionconstraining mechanism is, however, preferably symmetric, with two setsof links 221 and 223 and the related joints, each attached with a sleeve225 to the bar 102 on both sides of the gymnast hands. Alternatively,the links 223 are attached to the long sleeve 140 (FIG. 6) or shortsleeve 170 (FIG. 15).

The schematics of an embodiment of the motion constraining mechanism(number 2 above) to provide head, face, neck and shoulder impactprotection is shown in FIG. 29. The motion constraining mechanismconsists of a relatively stiff frame 230, which is fixed to the gymnast210 by chest and shoulder harness 231 and a lower harness 235 such as bystraps having buckles or hook and loop fasteners. To the frame 230 isattached a “C” shaped frame 238, which is constructed with a relativelyrigid material, with the back, middle and front portions indicated as232, 233 and 234. If the gymnast loses his/her grip and falls whileabove the bar as shown in FIG. 29, either of the portions 232, 233 or234 of the “C” frame 238 strikes the bar 102, thereby preventing thegymnast from striking the bar 102. Following this impact, since thecenter of mass of the gymnast is away from the bar 102, the weight ofthe gymnast would cause the gymnast to rotate and tend to fall downtowards the ground, at which point the aforementioned gymnast fallprotection harness would prevent his/her fall to the ground. The “C”frame is preferably constructed as a structure with certain amount ofbending flexibility to reduce the impacting forces transmitted to thegymnast shoulders through the shoulder harness 231. As described abovewith regard to FIG. 28, the embodiment of FIG. 29 is shown from the sidewith one C-shaped frame 238, however, two such frames, one on each sideof the gymnast can be provided.

The schematics of an embodiment of the motion constraining mechanism(number 3 above) to provide head, face, neck and shoulder impactprotection is shown in FIG. 30. In an embodiment, the motionconstraining mechanism consists of a relatively stiff frame 240, whichis fixed to the gymnast 210 by chest and shoulder harness 241. Alightweight but relatively rigid beam 242 (preferably hollow tube andmade out of a strong and hard plastic) is rigidly attached to the frame240. The beam 242 extends past the arms as shown in FIG. 31. Twostructures 243 forming a semi-circular surface as seen from the lateralview of FIG. 32 (not shown in FIG. 30 for clarity) are attached to thebar 102, far enough from the gymnast so that they do not interfere withhis/her routines. Then in case that the gymnast 210 loses grip of thebar 102 and falls down towards the bar 102, the beam 242 limits howclose the gymnast head could get to the bar as it reaches thesemi-circular surfaces of the structure 243. The structure 243 and thebeam 242 protect the gymnast during a fall from any position above thebar.

The schematics of an embodiment of the motion constraining mechanism(number 4 above) to provide head, face, neck and shoulder impactprotection is shown in FIG. 33. The motion constraining mechanismconsists of a soft cushion 250 that is attached to the bar 102 betweenthe two hands as shown in FIG. 33. The soft cushion may also be attachedto the bar sleeves disclosed above. The cross section of a typical suchcushion element 250 is shown in FIG. 34, however, the cross section canhave other shapes, such as circular. In case the gymnast 210 loses gripof the bar 102, depending on his/her momentary position, the gymnasthead, face or shoulders would first strike the cushion 250, which wouldsignificantly reduce the peak force that is applied to the gymnast. Asshown in FIG. 33, the cushion 250 can be relatively tall and narrow(i.e., extends a short distance to both sides of the bar 102. Thereby,if the head strikes the cushion from the side, it would deflect it acertain distance away from the head. As a result, the cushion 250pressures the head away from the bar and provides less verticalresistance The embodiment shown in FIG. 29 may also be used to protectgymnasts from other falls, such as from parallel bar to the ground, oreven from the high bar or rings over to the ground (mat), or othersimilar falls. In such cases, the “C” shaped frame 238 could be sizedand provided with the capability of deforming to reduce the peak impactforces.

The frame 238 can be made out of relatively low damping material thatwould deform under the impact force like a spring, but would not readilyrebound to through the gymnast back up or away, in the worst case offthe mat to harder surfaces located the height of the mat down. Tofurther improve safety, a net or a soft impact barrier wall (made from amaterial such as foam) may be placed around the mat to prevent thegymnast from falling over to the hard floor following such a rebound.

In the present applications, the shoulder area under the harness strapsis preferably padded to distribute the force during the fall impact.

While there has been shown and described what is considered to bepreferred embodiments of the invention, it will, of course, beunderstood that various modifications and changes in form or detailcould readily be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention. It is therefore intended that the invention be not limited tothe exact forms described and illustrated, but should be constructed tocover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A mechanism for preventing a gymnast from striking a portion ofgymnastics equipment while performing a routine or practicing, themechanism comprising: a member for interfering with the portion ofgymnastics equipment either directly or through intervening members suchthat the interference causes the gymnast to not strike the portion ofgymnastics equipment; and means for attaching the member to the gymnast.2. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein the means for attaching the memberto the gymnast comprises: a frame secured to the torso of the gymnast; afirst link rotatably connected to the frame; and a second link rotatablyconnected to the first link, the member being attached to the secondlink.
 3. The mechanism of claim 2, wherein the second link further hasmeans for rotatably connecting the means for attaching to the portion ofgymnastics equipment.
 4. The mechanism of claim 2, wherein the member isa stop positioned on the second link which contacts the portion ofgymnastics equipment upon rotation of the first and second links into apredetermined position such that the stop strikes the portion of thegymnastics equipment before the gymnast can.
 6. The mechanism of claim4, wherein a position of the stop is adjustable to account for arelative size of the gymnast.
 7. The mechanism of claim 2, wherein themeans for attaching comprises a pair of the first and second links, eachof the individual first and second links being disposed symmetricallyabout the gymnast.
 8. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein the means forattaching the member to the gymnast comprises: a first frame secured tothe torso of the gymnast; and a second frame attached to the firstframe, the second frame being shaped such that it contacts the portionof gymnastics equipment before the gymnast can.
 9. The mechanism ofclaim 1, wherein the second frame has a C shape.
 10. The mechanism ofclaim 1, wherein the means for attaching the member to the gymnastcomprises: a first frame secured to the torso of the gymnast; one ormore engagement portions attached to the gymnastics equipment; and abeam member secured to the first frame for engaging the engagement meansprior to the gymnast striking the portion of the gymnastics equipment.11. The mechanism of claim 10, wherein the one or more engagementportions are first and second semi-circular members having apredetermined spacing on the gymnastics equipment; and the beam memberhas a length less than the predetermined spacing.
 12. The mechanism ofclaim 1, further comprising at least one harness for securing around atleast a portion of a torso of the gymnast and one or more straps fixedat one end to the harness and rotatably engaged with the portion of thegymnastics equipment at another end.
 13. The mechanism of claim 12,wherein the means for attaching the member to the gymnast is theharness.
 14. An apparatus for preventing a gymnast from being injureddue to the gymnast striking a portion of gymnastics equipment whileperforming a routine or practicing, the apparatus comprising a cushionhaving a predetermined cross-section shape, the cushion being attachedto the portion of gymnastics equipment such that the gymnast will strikethe cushion instead of the portion of the gymnastics equipment.
 15. Amethod for preventing a gymnast from striking a portion of gymnasticsequipment while performing a routine or practicing, the methodcomprising: attaching a member to one of a gymnast, either directly orthrough intervening members or to the portion of the gymnasticsequipment; and the member preventing the gymnast from directly strikingthe portion of the gymnastics equipment.